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Sulfur dioxide inhibits expression of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation genes encoded by both nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA in rat lungs

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Abstract

Epidemiological studies show that sulfur dioxide (SO2), a major air pollutant, is associated with the morbidity and mortality of respiratory tract diseases. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of SO2 on mitochondria and the corresponding molecular characterization in the lung. Male Wistar rats were exposed to 0, 3.5, 7, and 14 mg/m3 SO2 (4 h/day, 30 days). Mitochondrial dysfunction including decreases of cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was observed in the lungs of rats after SO2 inhalation. We showed that total mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content was significantly decreased in the lungs from rats exposed to SO2. Furthermore, SO2 repressed the expression of complex IV and V subunits encoded by both nuclear DNA (nDNA) and mtDNA. Moreover, such changes were accompanied by depressions of three regulatory factors: peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1α (PGC-1α), nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1), and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM). The findings suggest that SO2 exposure induced mitochondrial dysfunction in rat lungs. Both nDNA and mtDNA are involved in SO2-induced depression of mitochondrial biogenesis in the lungs. There might be a tissue-specific response of mitochondrial biosynthesis to SO2 inhalation. Such impairment may lead to cellular dysfunction and eventually lung diseases.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21007036, 91543203, 21222701, 21377076), Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Exposure and Health (no. GZKLEEH201612), Research Project Supported by Shanxi Scholarship Council of China [grant number 2015-006], Program for the Top Young Academic Leaders of Higher Learning Institutions of Shanxi [grant number 20120303], and Nature Science Foundation of Shanxi Province [grant number 2012011036-6].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environmental Science and Resources, Research Center of Environment and Health, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 030006, China

    Guohua Qin, Jiaoxia Wang & Nan Sang

  2. Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Exposure and Health, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China

    Guohua Qin

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  1. Guohua Qin
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  2. Jiaoxia Wang
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  3. Nan Sang
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Correspondence to Nan Sang.

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Qin, G., Wang, J. & Sang, N. Sulfur dioxide inhibits expression of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation genes encoded by both nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA in rat lungs. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 2527–2534 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7859-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7859-7

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